Political correctness runs amuck

By Marv Kornegger

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The TV news just brought the word that realtors no longer use the reference to a “master bedroom” in real estate sales. It appears that term is too masculine and in addition may suggest a master-slave situation. The term “Owners’ Suite” seems to be preferred, although this would seem not accurate if the occupant is a renter.

The rush to purge our language of anything possibly insensitive to the easily offended has no end. We know how this cause has changed sports teams’ mascot names. The Eastern Michigan Hurons are now the EMU Eagles, the Stanford Indians are now the Stanford Cardinals. There have been many others, and perhaps the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins will eventually fold to pressure.

The masculine “man” is a focal point of challenge. First year college females don’t want to be freshmen, so should they be “freshwomen,” “freshgirls,” or should all first year students be “freshpersons” — what a dilemma!

I once heard criticism of the term “manhole cover;” well, should it be “womanhole cover” — that would be terrible! The alternative “personhole cover,” would that fly? Surely, “mankind,” “manmade” and “man hour” are not long for our vocabulary. They will likely become “humankind,” “peoplemade” and “person hour.”

There are some special challenges: How do you get the “man” out of “humanity”? What about “mandate” — which is an authoritative command or directive? Could it be “persondate,” or if coming from a feminist, “womandate”? Changing “manage” is a real headache! However, a “man-eating tiger” easily becomes a “people-eating tiger.”

Television long ago capitulated to the politically correct mantra in programming and advertising. Once, in talking to a TV advertising professional, he acknowledged its agenda: Never disparage a woman, put minorities in positions of authority, don’t show Asians with short hair and glasses and always show seniors as being active. If there is a clown or rube in the advertising, he has to be a white guy — preferably a young white guy.

Our federal government has set the standard for political correctness. In the War on Terror, they refuse to identify the enemy. The first World Trade Center attack, the Kenyan embassy bombings, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, the leveling of the marine barracks in Lebanon, the 9/11 horrors, the Fort Hood killings and now the new “Boston Massacre” has one common element. That element has been radical Islamic jihad!

Still, the current administration refuses to even acknowledge this out of fear of offense. Their terminology is “man-caused disaster,” and “workplace violence”! How can you defeat an enemy you even refuse to identify?

Racial semantics, too, have been a political correctness flashpoint. Growing up in Depression-era Detroit, my “African-American” schoolmates were, by standards at the time, called “colored.” Then in the iconoclastic 60s, “colored” morphed into “negro” as accepted racial terminology. Then in the 70s, “negro” fell into disfavor and was replaced by “black.” Now the politically correct term is “African-American.” If this made any sense, and if we eschewed double standards, “whites” would properly be identified as “European-Americans”!

I hope most Americans will join me in refusing to accept this brain-washing politically correct nonsense. It can only get worse!